Cold Snap

A clear night and cold air mark the end of an excellent growing season for many summer crops.

Brrrr! By the time you read this it may be too late. Freeze Warning in effect for nearly entire state tonight mean the effective end of the regular growing season. For us it is actually quite late to have not had even a light frost yet, so many of our crops have gotten to live full natural lives already. Corn was picked well past Columbus Day, Tomatoes made it through September, and Peppers into October; fairly good results on all those fronts.

Romanesco Cauliflower is one of the most exquisite vegetables on the Farmstand: Spiraling fractals of vitamin goodness.

We have taken steps to preserve our final bean crop of the year and will have to wait til the frost lifts off the lettuce in the morning to see how it survived. Cole Crops like Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kale and Cabbage should only taste better after this brush with cold. If you read this before early morning Saturday, you might want to take steps to harvest the last of your summer vegetables and to pull in any potted plants you were planning on wintering over to next year.

Salad Turnips are tasty and sweet raw or roasted.

For our part we have been harvesting right along. This week our broccoli and cauliflower crops really bumped up their production. We are picking at least 3 varieties of cauliflower right now, with more on the way. We have started picking homegrown cabbage again too this week, the hiatus between summer and fall crops finally over. In addition to regular green, red, and savoy we also have Chinese Cabbage at this time of year for a change of pace.

Cauliflower comes in a variety of shapes and colors this time of year.

In root crop news, we are still harvesting parsnips like crazy and there has been a return to the scene of the summer salad turnips. These pink or white beauties were new to us early this year and seem to really thrive n the cooler temps so we are thrilled they returned for the fall.

32 varieties of apples on the stand this weekend!

With next summer in mind be aware that all our remaining pottery is on sale for 20% off for a limited time as we want to make room for the Christmas Season. Even though we have a lot more storage space than we used to have in the new farmstand, we’d rather not have to pack it all up and away til next spring, so if there was a pot you eyed earlier this year and want to employ it in the garden next year, consider buying it now at a discount and be ready to go next spring.

Jarrahdale Squash is a beautiful blue pumpkin, homegrown at our Standish fields this year. The bright orange flesh makes for a delicious soup.

The Apple Pie Contest looks to be another stellar day. As always expect a thorough play-by-play recap after the event here, but why wait? Join us Sunday at noon for the main event.

With apple pie on the brain, remember we carry pies from three different sources: our own bakery, Mann Orchard, and Ever So Humble. Since pies may be tiring by the end of the weekend, keep in mind some of the special treats from our own chef Jen, like this rustic apple tart. She has been baking long hours today to have a lot of fresh tastes available to you this weekend!

To bookend our apple day on Sunday, Lifestyle Editor of Yankee Magazine, Amy Traverso will visit the farm at 3:30 pm to sign copies of her Apple Lovers Cookbook. This beautiful book delves into the best uses of over 50 types of apples and offers up 100 recipes to use them in. Bring you own copy in, or purchase one on site on Sunday and chat with Amy about apple choice, something we make exciting with the 32 varieties we have available on the stand today. Also note the new time of the book signing, now at 3:30 until about 5.

Halloween is right around the corner, and with hundreds of pumpkins to choose from now is the time to stop in and pick one or two up! Plus we have plenty of flowering mums, bunched corn stalks, hay, straw, and novelty decorations to make your fall and holiday displays really stand out.